Flashback: Scientific Inquiry

A student is conducting an experiment to determine how the amount of sunlight affects the growth of tomato plants. She places three plants in three different locations:

• Plant A receives 8 hours of sunlight per day.

• Plant B receives 4 hours of sunlight per day.

• Plant C receives no sunlight and is kept in complete darkness.

The student waters all plants with the same amount of water daily and measures their height weekly for four weeks.

What is the dependent variable in this experiment?

• The amount of sunlight the plants receive

• The type of plant used

• The height of the plants

• The amount of water given to the plants

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

NGSS.MS-LS1-6

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

A student is conducting an experiment to determine how the amount of sunlight affects the growth of tomato plants. She places three plants in three different locations:

• Plant A receives 8 hours of sunlight per day.

• Plant B receives 4 hours of sunlight per day.

• Plant C receives no sunlight and is kept in complete darkness.

The student waters all plants with the same amount of water daily and measures their height weekly for four weeks.

How would removing Plant C from the experiment affect the conclusions that could be drawn?

• The experiment would no longer test the impact of sunlight on plant growth.

• The student would be unable to determine if sunlight is necessary for growth.

• The results would still be valid because Plant A and Plant B show different levels of growth.

• The data would be more accurate because Plant C introduces unnecessary variables.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

NGSS.MS-LS1-6

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

A student is conducting an experiment to determine how the amount of sunlight affects the growth of tomato plants. She places three plants in three different locations:

• Plant A receives 8 hours of sunlight per day.

• Plant B receives 4 hours of sunlight per day.

• Plant C receives no sunlight and is kept in complete darkness.

The student waters all plants with the same amount of water daily and measures their height weekly for four weeks.

 What additional data could the student collect to make her conclusions about sunlight and plant growth more reliable?

• Measure the amount of water each plant absorbs each day.

• Record the color and health of the leaves in addition to the height of the plants.

• Increase the sample size by using more plants in each sunlight condition.

• Compare the growth of tomato plants to that of a completely different plant species.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

NGSS.MS-LS1-6

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

A group of students designed an experiment to investigate the effect of temperature on the activity of enzymes. They used three water baths at different temperatures:

• Bath 1: 10°C

• Bath 2: 37°C

• Bath 3: 60°C

The students added the same type of enzyme and an equal amount of substrate to each water bath. They measured the amount of product formed after 10 minutes.

Which is the independent variable in this experiment?

• The type of enzyme used

• The temperature of the water baths

• The amount of substrate added

• The time allowed for the reaction

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-2

A group of students designed an experiment to investigate the effect of temperature on the activity of enzymes. They used three water baths at different temperatures:

• Bath 1: 10°C

• Bath 2: 37°C

• Bath 3: 60°C

The students added the same type of enzyme and an equal amount of substrate to each water bath. They measured the amount of product formed after 10 minutes.

Why did the students use the same type of enzyme in all three water baths?

• To see how different enzymes react to temperature

• To eliminate variability in the experiment

• To increase the amount of product formed

• To test the effectiveness of the enzyme

A group of students designed an experiment to investigate the effect of temperature on the activity of enzymes. They used three water baths at different temperatures:

• Bath 1: 10°C

• Bath 2: 37°C

• Bath 3: 60°C

The students added the same type of enzyme and an equal amount of substrate to each water bath. They measured the amount of product formed after 10 minutes.

Based on the experiment, which of the following would be the most appropriate hypothesis for testing the effect of temperature on enzyme activity?

• If the temperature of the water bath is increased, then the enzyme activity will increase.

• Will the enzyme placed in a cold water bath, produce more product than in a warm water bath?

• If the amount of substrate is doubled, then the enzyme activity

• when enzymes are exposed to extreme temperatures, they will continue to function at the same rate.